September 26, 2017

Project Life

Sources: Top Row - Feed Your Craft; Bottom Row - Elle's Studio

Earlier this year when I decided to get back to Project Life, I'd planned to concentrate on completing 2016. I have been working on that year off and on but lately my recent photos have really been inspiring me so I've decided to work with them instead. Whatever works, right?

I've said it before but I definitely think that there's a certain rhythm to completing Project Life spreads. It takes me a little time to get started, but once I find that flow, it's so easy to finish several spreads at a time.

I started by scrolling through my camera roll and selected some photos to print at my local Walgreen's. I generally print any horizontal photos at 4x6 and any vertical photos at 3x4. If I have any square photos, I'll print them at 4x4 and just add them to a 4x6 card.

Selecting, editing and printing photos is my least favorite part of the process but I've learned not to stress over it. My main goal for this project is to give an overview of life from my perspective. I've let go of the idea that I need to print every photo I take or document everything that happened in a particular time period. It will all even out.

I don't do weekly spreads. Sometimes a pocket page will cover a week or more, and sometimes it might cover just one day or activity, as in the case of the above page.

Some spreads have a lot of journaling while some have just the basic information. Again, I'm going with the flow.

Looking back over a few of my recent pages, there are some topics showing up on a fairly regular basis: books I read, the contents of my grocery cart, nature, my daily walks. I like seeing how these subjects change over the course of a year. And those photos are perfect for filling the odd pocket or two when my printed photos don't complete a full page. And while I haven't used any on these spreads, flip-up pockets or photo sleeves are a great solution when I have more photos than pockets.

I'll gather a collection of cards, stamps and embellishments, making myself a little mini-kit to use each session. That really saves me from wasting time searching for a particular item. Honestly, I don't think there's such a thing as the "perfect" embellishment; I can always make do with what is right in front of me.

I've also found that Project Life is a great way to use up those random, leftover embellishments such as the little rubber ice cream cone shown below. Lately I've been stamping directly on photos and using labels to give myself space for more journaling.

So that's what I've been up to with Project Life lately. Layouts will always be my first love, but there's also room in my heart for capturing everyday details in little pockets.